hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon, and abode in the rock of Rimmon four months. 48And the men of Israel turned back upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city, and the cattle, and all that they found; moreover all the cities which they found they set on fire.
21Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying: 'There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.' 2And the people came to Beth-el, and sat there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore. 3And they said: 'O Lord, the God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to-day one tribe lacking in Israel?' 4And it came to pass on the morrow that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. 5And the children of Israel said: 'Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up in the assembly unto the Lord?' For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up unto the Lord to Mizpah, saying: 'He shall surely be put to death.' 6And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said: 'There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 7How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?' 8And they said: 'What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up unto the Lord to Mizpah?' And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. 9For when the people were numbered, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there. 10And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying: 'Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones. 11And this is the thing that ye shall do: ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.' 12And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13And the whole congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace unto them. 14And Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead; and yet so they sufficed them not. 15And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16Then the elders of the congregation said: 'How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?' 17And they said: 'They that are escaped must be as an inheritance for Benjamin, that a tribe be not blotted out from Israel. 18Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters.' For the children of Israel had sworn, saying: 'Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.' 19And they said: 'Behold, there is the feast of the Lord from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.' 20And they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying: 'Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; 21and see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come to strive with us, that we will say unto them: Grant them graciously unto us; because we took not for each man of them his wife in battle; neither did ye give them unto them, that ye should now be guilty.' 23And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they carried off; and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them. 24And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance. 25In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
1. That is, Weepers.
2. That is, The Lord is peace.
3. That is, Let Baal contend.
4. That is, The villages of Jair.
5. That is, The hill of the jawbone.
6. That is, The spring of him that called.
7. Heb. מנשה, with נ suspended, indicating an earlier reading, Moses.
8. Heb. Geba.
שמואל א
FIRST SAMUEL (Shmû’ēl)
1Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of the hill-country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2And he had two wives: the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 3And this man went up out of his city from year to year to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there priests unto the Lord. 4And it came to pass upon a day, when Elkanah sacrificed, that he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions; 5but unto Hannah he gave a double portion; for he loved Hannah, but the Lord had shut up her womb. 6And her rival vexed her sore, to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb. 7And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, so she vexed her; therefore she wept, and would not eat. 8And Elkanah her husband said unto her: 'Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?' 9So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk—now Eli the priest sat upon his seat by the door-post of the temple of the Lord; 10and she was in bitterness of soul—and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. 11And she vowed a vow, and said: 'O Lord of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thy handmaid, and remember me, and not forget Thy handmaid, but wilt give unto Thy handmaid a man-child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.' 12And it came to pass, as she prayed long before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. 13Now Hannah, she spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice could not be heard; therefore, Eli thought she had been drunken. 14And Eli said unto her: 'How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.' 15And Hannah answered and said: 'No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I poured out my soul before the Lord. 16Count not thy handmaid for a wicked woman: for out of the abundance of my complaint and my vexation have I spoken hitherto.' 17Then Eli answered and said: 'Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant thy petition that thou hast asked of Him.' 18And she said: 'Let thy servant find favour in thy sight.' So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. 19And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah; and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her. 20And it came to pass, when the time was come about, that Hannah conceived, and bore a son; and she called his name Samuel: 'because I have asked him of the Lord.'
21And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the Lord the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. 22But